Abstract
Ten male and 10 female subjects were exposed to a 100 dB SPL 1000-Hz fatigue stimulus for 3 min. During the exposure time, the subjects repeatedly produced a voiced vowel, a whispered vowel, or performed a nonvoiced articulatory gesture representing a vowel without whispering. Pre- and postexposure thresholds were tracked with a Békésy-type procedure for a stimulus 12 oct above the fatigue frequency. Temporary threshold shift (TTS) in males and females following voiced /ɑ/ and /i/ vowel conditions was significantly less than that observed for corresponding whispered or nonvoiced conditions at each postexposure recovery time measured. The magnitude of these differences ranged from 9 dB at 10 sec to 4 dB at 3 min of recovery. The results strongly indicate that voiced vowel production impedes transmission and hence reduces the energy delivered to the cochlea from a 1000-Hz fatigue stimulis, as evidenced by the reduced TTS magnitudes associated with this condition. Two potential mechanisms are proposed to account for alteration in sound transmission during voiced vowel production. One mechanism involves possible middle-ear muscle contraction, and the other concerns alterations in the normal vibratory mode of the stapes caused by vertical vibrations of the skull during phonation.
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